H&M is at the center of a firestorm as their “Coolest Monkey in the Jungle” ad sparked outrage across the country and around the world. Subsequently, The Weeknd and G-Eazy have severed ties with the Swedish based retailer. Many took to social media to vent their frustration via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Social media has become a platform for all people to share opinions and engage in conversation. Yet, Pastor Jamal Bryant feels he was unfairly silenced by Instagram.
Upon discovering the controversial ad, he took to formally issue the following call to action:
Every person who is of conscious, no matter what your color should boycott H&M because they do not appreciate our dollar and do not think highly enough of us to put us on their board of directors #boycotthandm
The end …… of H&M #boycotth&mWe do not own the rights to this music……..
Posted by Xcel Radio on Monday, January 8, 2018
Seeming to strike a chord with like-minded people, he says within an hour: 4000 people had agreed. On the contrary, Pastor Bryant says within the same hour his post was flagged by Instagram and subsequently deleted. In addition he received the following notice from Instagram: “We have taken the liberty to delete your post because it does not promote harmony.”
If the aforementioned information is true, we need answers.
Let’s ask Instagram (who is an newly acquired entity of Facebook) one simple question: In what ways does this post not promote harmony? The objective of the post appears to call people to action, unify and organize people behind the common cause of combating racism in the modern world. There is no threat of violence. There may be some form of incitement but it only calls for people of conscious thought to boycott a business on the basis that they are deeply offended. Is uniting people regardless of color, to fight a timeless social issue not considered harmonious?
If Instagram chooses to silence this type of social action they are part of the problem. This type of selective silence is what has allowed racism to survive and thrive well into modern society. Hence, in 2018 racism is still a problem.
